Exista multe si diferite argumente in alegerea unei masini. Iar faptul ca Subaru este diferita ar putea fi cel mai bun argument. Pentru ca, cu cat stii mai multe despre Subaru, cu atat esti mai tentat sa te intrebi “De ce nu sunt construite asa toate masinile?”. La volanul unui Subaru traiesti o senzatie absolut unica, de incredere in masina si, pe masura ce ii descoperi calitatile iti ofera un sentiment unic de incantare. Am trait aceste senzatii cand, intalnindu-mi un prieten, am acceptat sa-mi arate masina pe care tocmai si-o cumparase: un Subaru Impreza WRX STI. Nu mai completez decat faptul ca eram in Sinaia deci am trait experienta Subaru pe asfalt, serpentine, macadam si drum forestier.

Astazi am mers intr-un showroom al marcii asa incat iata opinii despre Subaru in general, nu doar despre Impreza. De altfel preferata mea a ramas modelul Outback, o combinatie intre masina sportiva, de familie si business. Ce iese in evidenta la masinile Subaru nu este sistemul de navigatie High Resolution cu DVD, nici sunetul premium cu “n” difuzoare si SRS Circle Surround, sau mufa pentru iPod. Acestea se gasesc si la alte marci. Sub capota se gasesc doua minuni ale tehnicii: sistemul Symmetrical AWD si Subaru Boxer.

Symmetrical AWD (All Wheel Drive) consta in dispunerea simetrica si in linie dreapta a motorului si transmisiei. Puterea lui se transmite catre rori mai simplu si mai direct, creand un echilibru aproape natural si o senzatie de control absolut asupra manevrabilitatii. Iar motorul Subaru Boxer are pistoanele dispuse orizontal si la 180 de grade unul fata de altul, pe ambele laturi ale masinii, realizand un profil mai coborat si mai plat in comparatie cu alte tipuri de motoare. Rezulta un centru de greutate mai coborat, un echilibru mai bun si o stabilitate mai mare la abordarea virajelor. In plus miscarile pistoanelor opuse se contrabalanseaza, contribuind la reducerea vibratiilor.

Dincolo de acestea, celelalte dotari par niste gadgeturi: frana de mana electronica, oglinzi de parasolar iluminate, compartiment de depozitare in plafon sau ventilatie separata pentru zona din spate a masinii. Va recomand asadar ca in limita timpului disponibil sa mergeti sa vedeti masinile sau de ce nu, sa faceti un drive-test, chiar si pentru placerea de a conduce un Subaru.

Bald ist Weihnachten und wir freuen uns schon auf den Winter

Noch 3 Wochen, dann fliegen wir hoffentlich in den Schnee.

Wollen soooo gern Schlitten fahren und Schneeballschlachten machen – hahaha.

Was wir die letzten Wochen so angestellt haben koennt ihr hier sehen:

Oktoberfest
klick auf Foto und sieh mehr…

Great Ocean Road
klick auf Foto und sieh mehr…

Mildura & Mungo Nationalpark
klick auf Foto und sieh mehr…

Philipp Island
klick auf Foto und sieh mehr…

Sonnige Gruesse von Lars & Anni

Hello loves and blokes!

De grens met de Northern Territory ligt al een tijdje achter ons, we zijn reeds gearriveerd in Western Australia.

Ondertussen heeft onze blauwe hagedis heel wat kilometers in zijn poten. Veel was er vaak niet te zien, buiten het grote ‘nothing, nothing en meer van dat nothing’ (zoals Robert, onze gastheer in Rainbow beach het zo mooi zei). Erg mooie uitgestrekte natuur, dor gras, af en toe een rots. Australië op z’n best. De temperatuur bleef ook maar stijgen (mas que 40°C), op het lastige af (constant zweten, warm water drinken, geen weg weten met jezelf, de aircoknop niet vinden ). Ondertussen zijn we de hitte meer gewoon. Klagen doen we echter niet: in België is ‘t waarschijnlijk andere koek.

Ok, eens in de Northern Territory bleken de eerder woestijnachtige rest areas (waar we tot nu toe veel gratis konden op overnachten) van veel minder voorzien. Geen drinkbaar water, geen deftige wc’s en zeker geen douches meer. Toen we in de Avon Downs rest area aankwamen (tussen Camooweal en Barkly Homestead) was de hitte niet te doen. Ook al was het al 5 pm, het was puffen geblazen. Leen had echt afkoeling nodig en bij gebrek aan douches mocht Corneel inspringen door een volle bassin gematigd uit te gieten in Leen haar nek. Aan de ene kant van de straat was er de rest area, voor de toeristen, aan de andere kant waren er slaapbarakken voor de grenspolitie. Al bij al sliepen we wel veilig dus (we sliepen op 60 km van ‘t volgende dorp).

De dag erop reden we verder naar Three Ways. In deze roadhouse kochten we een ijskoude fles water en een heerlijke ijskoffie van Daily Farmers. Op Three Ways heb je een T-sprong: je kan kiezen: links naar Tennant Creek en verder naar ‘t hart van Australië of rechts naar Darwin. We puffen verder naar Tennant Creek, een duidelijke bol op de kaart, in werkelijkheid maar één deftige supermarkt rijk. We ontmoetten een gepensioneerde cattle cowboy die zijn tijd nu slijt in de pub, naast de vele aboriginals die maar wat rondlopen op straat.

In Daly waters dronken we een frisse pint om op krachten te komen. De pub ligt naast een vliegveld dat sinds de jaren ‘30 dienst doet (in Australië is dit geschiedenis) als fuelstop. Om de plek voor toeristen aantrekkelijker te maken hebben ze de toog volgehangen met prullen van passerende klanten (foto’s, kaartjes, slips, thongs (teenslippers) en zelfs bh’s).

Weer een eind de weg op, Mataranka. Een erg droog stadje met weinig bijzonders, ware het niet dat ze zalige natuurlijke thermal pools (34°C) hebben! Bij 40 graden buitentemperatuur voelt dit aan als een heuse verfrissing. Zwemmen dus tussen de palmbomen, boven ons vleermuizen (fruit bats). ’s Anderendaags zwemmen we in nog meer natuurlijke thermal springs. Er moest een soort parcours gevolgd worden in het water.

Katherine was de eerste plaats die de naam ’stad’ waardig is. We wisten het van elkaar zonder een woord te zeggen, na alle budget pasta van de voorbije dagen was het tijd voor een echte, vette hamburger. De vrouw van de tourist information kon ons de Happy Corner aanraden. We kochten er een hamburger ‘with the lot’, met alles erop en eraan dus: burger met ananas, ei, spek, sla, wortels, rode biet, dit alles overgoten met de vetste saus ooit. ’s Avonds geslapen op een camping in Katherine Gorge. Onze van bleek vol te zitten van de superkleine miertjes die hier talrijk aanwezig zijn (Ginger ants). We haalden de hele van leeg en sprayden de hele boel onder. Omdat dit een redelijk lastig karwei was (heel warm) lieten we enkele dozen buiten staan en sprongen we de poel in. Terwijl we in ‘t zwembad waren aten de plaatselijke kangoos de droge spaghettigstokken en een aardappel op. Zo knoddig zijn ze ook weer niet…. De ochtend erop deden we een korte wandeling, maar ach wat hebben we gezweet…

In de namiddag reden we door naar Kakadu National Park. Eerst nog voorbij de vriendelijke rangers die ons de nodige tips en uitleg gaven (where to go, waar is 2wd mogelijk, waar enkel 4wd?). In een boek van een Hollander lazen we iets in de trend van KakaDON’T, wij vinden echter dat ‘t wel degelijk KakaDO is. In de wetlands van Yellow waters liggen de salties (zoutwaterkrokodillen) steeds op de loer. Je kan ze vanop minder dat 10 meter zien in het wild, net of we meemochten met de cameraploeg van national geografic.

Daarnaast biedt Kakadu ook rotstekeningen van aboriginals, met een goed verduidelijkend museum. Zo uniek als je de verslagen leest van blanke expedities in de bush. Echte bushmensen, die nog iedere dag om eten zochten, die zwerfden met de seizoenen mee. In de aboriginalcultuur zijn dromen heel belangrijk, evenals de band met de natuur. Vandaag echter moet ook de negatieve kant gezien worden: velen Aboriginals hangen rond in steden (Noord en centraal Australië), maken amok onder elkaar en denken er niet aan om vuilnis in de bin te gooien. Bij iedere Australiër waar we mee praten, komt naar boven dat dit vaak een sad story is. In Jabiru, een plek in Kakadu, mocht onze blauwe hagedis zich laven aan de dure dieselbeek, alwaar we koers zetten richting Darwin. Onderweg geslapen in Bark Hut Inn, een mooie roadhouse, waar je voor 15 dollar value krijgt. Goeie douches, mooi zwembad, een stukje cultuur in de bush.

Bij aankomst in Darwin lieten we de wagen achter in de ondergrondse garage en verkenden de stad te voet. Van Darwin moet je twee dingen weten: een van de weinige plekken in Australië die door de Jappen in WWII gebombardeerd werd én dat de stad volledig verwoest werd op kerstdag 1974 door cycloon Tracy. Voor ons was het verademing om na zoveel bush en desert nog eens een grote stad te zien. Keurige parken, meer winkels en een goed museum. ’s Avonds kwamen we een gezin uit Wetteren tegen die op wereldreis maakten. Ook doken we ’s avonds het zwembad in met een Israëlisch koppel (Liron en Gay). Het klikte al snel en uiteindelijk zouden we twee dagen met hen op schok gaan.

Even bezuiden Darwin ligt Litchfield National park,helemaal iets anders dan Kakadu. Veel watervallen en andere locaties waar gezwommen kan worden. Ook nog snel de fameuse termietenheuvels meegepikt (je komt ze hier overal tegen) en dan doorgereden naar Adelaide River, waar we een spotgoedkope camping vonden waar ze ook nog eens goedkoop bier serveerden. We hadden een laatste leuke avond met L&G: de concierge van de camping had die dag een freshie (zoetwaterkrokodil) en een giftige slang gevangen. We mochten de buit aanschouwen, maar waren blij dat hij zich verder over de beestjes ontfermde.

Na het afscheid de volgende morgen (L&G gaan naar ‘t Oosten) trokken we verder naar ‘t Westen toe. In Katherine moesten we een klein halfuurtje wachten tot the Northern Territory weer stroom had om diesel in onze wagen te kunnen gooien. Zelfs Darwin kwam zonder stroom te staan. Lang geleden dat dat nog eens gebeurde in België. ’s Avonds hielden we halt in Timber Creek. We bezochten Gregory National Park (genoemd naar de zoveelste explorer die meehielp Australië in kaart te brengen). We bezochten de majestueze baobabboom waar Gregory himself zo’n dikke 150 jaar terug de toenmalige datum inkraste. Na de korte dirtroad konden we weer de Victoria Highway op richting Kununurra (eerste stad in West-Australië). Eerst nog door checkpoint moeten rijden waar gecontroleerd werd of we geen vers fruit of groenten over de grens meenamen. We moesten appelmoes van onze zak appelen maken om ze alnog de grens over te krijgen. Na een korte stop in Lake Argyle (waar ze een mooie waterdam bouwden) konden we onze campervan ontplooien in Hidden Valley campground.

West-Australia is erg groot en de afstanden zijn hier overrompelend. Vandaag reden we maar liefst 660 kilometer (was veel is met ons busje) door fantastische landschappen en kwamen we welgeteld één dorpje tegen. In Halls Creek wonen mensen van verschillende aboriginal gemeenschappen, snel doorgereden, meer was er niet te doen. In deze streek zijn heel wat mijnen (zo passeerden we een diamantmijn van Rio Tinto). Niet toegankelijk voor bezoekers, helaas.

We hadden nog een dikke 200 kilometer te gaan toen we even halt hielden om een foto te nemen. Toen we wilden vertrekken, wilde de motor niet. Paniek. We zitten in het grote niks (40 km terug was de eerste village) en de auto doet het niet. Gelukkig hebben we voldoende water en materiaal mee om een paar dagen te overleven, maar toch, je komt het niet graag tegen. We zijn wel lid van de NRMA (wegenhulp) maar dan moet je eerst ontvangst hebben om die te kunnen bellen natuurlijk… We klampten ons meteen vast aan een Nederlander die toevallig op dezelfde plek halt hield. Hij zag meteen dat er een probleem was met de startmotor. Verder kende hij er ook niks van. Maar de lichtjes brandden, dus de batterij was niet plat. Oef. Een garagist leerde ons in een ver verleden een trucje om de auto aan de gang te krijgen indien er lucht in de startmotor zou zitten (de lucht er handmatig uitpompen). Na een poging of vier hadden we prijs en startte Bleu-ie weer. We hebben ondertussen al een keer of vier gestopt en gestart en hij houdt vol. Fingers crossed dus voor de volgende dagen.

We staan nu op een mooie camping in Fitzroy Crossing. Morgen zijn we van plan om in één stuk door naar Broome te rijden (400tal kilometers), kwestie van de auto eens binnen te doen voor een algemene check-up (meer dan 10000 km gereden).

Tot hoors,
vergeet ook niet te klikken op het kaartje van deze blog, we gaan vooruit!

Aussie 2009.11.26

Carnavalsvereniging De Fluiters organiseert tijdens het tweede weekend van december een gezellig Winterdorp met skihut en de nodige glühwein. Drie dagen lang draagt het Kermetaplein de gezellige kerstsfeer uit in een prachtig kerstdecor. Hoogtepunt is de fraaie kerstlichtstoet op zaterdagavond op een nieuw uitgestippeld parcours.

Op vrijdag 11 december van 17 tot 21u kan je deelnemen aan een wandeltocht en zal de fanfare Sint-Cecilia zorgen voor het muzikaal kader. Telkens vanaf 14 kan je op zaterdag 12 december tot 21u en zondag tot 20u er ook terecht voor een kerstmarkt met levende kerststal en oude ambachten.

Apotheose is echter de kerstlichtstoet op zaterdag vanaf 19u met een nieuw parcours. Muzikaal wordt er leven in Winterdorp gebracht op zaterdag vanaf 19u30 door lokaal talent Kaylie, Danny Kerkhofs en Outback. Zondag vanaf 14u klinkt Tiroler muziek en ambiance uit de instrumenten en met zang van D’Rauf und D’Ran.

De toegang is volledig gratis.

www.kermtleeft.be

Rivalry Week

Throw The Stats Out The Window

This is the college football week where more money is lost by those who don’t know what they are doing and more money is made by those who do know.  Certain rivalry games are just that—real rivalries.  Others are nothing but an annual beating on a little sister.

There is another bigger factor to this week’s games.  It’s the bowl factor.  Several teams are still looking for one final win to become bowl eligible.  A 5-6 team hosting an 8-3 team must be looked at quite differently than a 2-9 team hosting a 4-7 team.  The desire to get to 6-6 far outweighs the desire to avoid a 10-loss season.

Let’s look at the bowl eligible teams by conference as well as the teams needing to win this week to gain bowl eligibility.

Clemson and Georgia Tech have already clinched their divisions and will meet for the ACC Championship.  Tech edges the Tigers in Atlanta in September, but Clemson gave the game away.

Duke needs to beat Wake Forest this week to earn their first bowl in 15 years.  David Cutcliffe is one of the most underrated coaches in the country, and he should receive some national recognition in the Coach of the Year balloting.

The ACC has nine automatic bowl bids, and only seven bowl eligible teams as of now.  The GMAC Bowl will need to find an at-large team to fill the vacant position, and if Duke loses this week, the Eagle Bank Bowl will look to the MAC to fill that vacant slot.

Regardless of what happens in the Backyard Brawl in Morgantown this weekend, the winner of next week’s Cincinnati-Pittsburgh game will be Big East Champions and automatic BCS Bowl representative.  Cincinnati could still conceivably earn an at-large BCS Bowl bid at 11-1, but that chance is slimmer than slim.

Connecticut can gain bowl eligibility with a win at home against Syracuse this weekend, and they would get another chance next week against South Florida if they faltered against the Orangemen.  If the Huskies get that win, then the Big East will have six bowl eligible teams for six guaranteed spots.  Notre Dame could still possibly steal the Sun Bowl/Gator Bowl spot that goes to a Big East team if the Irish beat Stanford, but it would be a disgrace for them to steal a post at 7-5.  We believe Stanford will take care of business and keep Notre Dame out of the bowl picture altogether this year.

The Big 10 season is basically over.  Illinois has a couple of non-conference games remaining, and the only important factor in that is they play Cincinnati this weekend.  Wisconsin goes to Hawaii in two weeks, and the Outback Bowl bid could be riding on them winning the game.

It is almost a foregone conclusion that a second Big 10 team, either Iowa or Penn State, will receive an at-large BCS Bowl bid.  So, there will be seven teams available for eight bowls.  The Pizza Bowl (formerly Motor City Bowl) will have to look elsewhere and may be forced to invite two MAC teams.

Nebraska and Texas will face off in the Big 12 Championship Game, and the Cornhuskers may have a shot at pulling off a huge upset.  We give the ‘Huskers about a 15% chance of frustrating the Longhorn offense and win ugly.  If so, then another team from the Lone Star State will benefit.

After beginning the season at 5-0, Kansas finds itself in a must-win situation against Missouri at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.  They must earn The Brass Drum to earn a bowl bid.

The most important game though will be the Oklahoma and Oklahoma State game in Norman.  If the Cowboys beat the Sooners, they will more than likely earn an at-large BCS Bowl Bid at the expense of Boise State.  The Sooners must win to guarantee themselves a winning season.  The PiRate Ratings have had a devil of a time with OU this year.  Even at 6-5, their power rating keeps them in the top 10.  It’s hit or miss with them, as they showed how strong they are when they took Texas to the final gun.

If Kansas wins over Missouri, there will be 10 bowl eligible teams for eight guaranteed bowl spots (nine if Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma).  Look for Iowa State to be the odd team out of the mix.

Welcome to the conference where everything changes weekly.  With SMU losing to Marshall, the door opened once again for Houston to ascend to the CUSA Championship Game.  A win over Rice is all that’s needed, but all of a sudden the Owls have found their way.  It could be an interesting game—at least for a half.

The East Division championship will be decided this weekend when Southern Miss visits East Carolina.

UAB can gain bowl eligibility with a win over  Central Florida, but it may be a moot point.  There are only five guaranteed bowl spots with a sixth if Army fails to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid.  Six CUSA teams are already bowl eligible, and the Blazers cannot compete with Marshall or SMU in fanbase.

All three independents are still in the bowl mix, but as of now, only Navy is guaranteed a spot.  Notre Dame must beat Stanford to get to 7-5 and earn priority over every other possible at-large team.  At 6-6, they more than likely will find themselves out of the picture as there will be enough seven-win teams to fill the at-large spots.

Army must beat Navy to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid.  Navy has won seven in a row in this series, so it should be one of the best in this series in many years.

Central Michigan has already clinched the West Division, and the Chippewas will play the winner of this week’s Ohio U-Temple game in the MAC Championship Game. 

Two teams will be playing for that important seventh win this week.  Bowling Green hosts Toledo, and Kent State hosts Buffalo.

The MAC gets three guaranteed bowl bids and will get a fourth if Duke fails to beat Wake Forest and earn an Eagle Bank Bowl bid.   That’s where the Bowling Green and Kent State games come into play.  Both could earn bowl bids with wins, and one could even play in the Pizza Bowl against another MAC team.

TCU will manhandle New Mexico this week and then hope that either Texas A&M or Nebraska can upset Texas, Florida State can upset Florida, or Auburn can upset Alabama.  The Horned Frogs need two of the big three teams ahead of them to lose.  The loser of the SEC Championship Game means that either Texas must lose this week or next or the winner of the SEC Championship Game must lose this week.  If one of these events happen, then TCU will be playing for the national championship in January.  It’s hard to believe that this program was once as weak as Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Washington State are today.

The one team still trying to gain bowl eligibility is Wyoming.  The Cowboys must beat Colorado State in Ft. Collins this week, and these two teams truly put the “war” in “Border War.”  It’s not a given that Wyoming can top the 3-8 Rams.

For the first time ever, the winner of the “Civil War” game between Oregon and Oregon State will earn the Rose Bowl bid.  The Ducks and Beavers are one of the best rivalry games in college football, and I’d love to have a 50-yard line seat next week in Eugene.

The Pac-10 receives six automatic bowl bids, but there are seven bowl eligible teams.  It looks like UCLA will miss out this year unless they can upset USC.  Arizona must beat either Arizona State or USC to get to seven wins.  If both the Bruins and Wildcats win seven games, then expect to see the Pac-10 receiving an extra bid to a western bowl.

This is a monster conference!  With Alabama and Florida headed to Atlanta to play what will be the “Game Of The Decade” (assuming both win this week), it is a given that the loser will still play in a BCS Bowl.  It isn’t completely out of the realm that if the SEC Championship game goes to overtime or is decided in regulation by a point, and if Texas loses to either Texas A&M or Nebraska, that Alabama and Florida could meet in a rematch for all the marbles.

With 10 bowl eligible teams, the SEC will place all 10 in bowls.  There will be a lot of last minute shuffling because there isn’t much difference between team number three and team number 10.

This league is almost assured of earning a second bowl bid this year.  Troy will play in the New Orleans Bowl, but Middle Tennessee will get an at-large bid somewhere.  Both Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe can get to seven wins, but it will take big upsets for both to do so.  ULL plays Troy, while ULM plays MTSU.

Here’s where things should get interesting.  Boise State is a win over Nevada away from being 12-0 and the proverbial odd team out.  If Oklahoma State beats Oklahoma, the Cowboys will steal the last BCS Bowl bid at the Broncos’ expense.  Then, watch for the United States Government to put their messy fingers into the college football pigpen. 

Before we get into this mess, Boise State has to beat Nevada.  The Wolf Pack is not a pushover, and it could easily take 50 or more points to win this game.

Of course, if the Sooners win over OSU, then it looks favorable for BSU getting into the field.  Then, they would be competing against a one or two-loss Big East team and maybe a two-loss Georgia Tech team.

If Boise State moves up, then the WAC is safe with four bowls for four bowl eligible teams.

Hawaii could still sneak into the mix, but they would have to beat Navy and Wisconsin.  We don’t see that happening.

Bowl Speculations

O país que sediou os jogos olímpicos em 2000 com a cidade de Sydney tem a população cosmopolita, formada especialmente por europeus e asiáticos. A mistura de culturas pode ser atribuída ao incentivo que o governo australiano oferece aos estudantes estrangeiros, o que não quer dizer que não haja controle sobre eles. O governo australiano estimula pesquisas nas áreas médica, biológica, oceanográfica, física e tecnológica.

Conhecida pelos exóticos cangurus, koalas e até pelas tribos aborígenes. A Austrália apresenta uma beleza natural e preservada que encanta os estrangeiros. Suas mais de 10 mil praias são o sonho de consumo de qualquer surfista. A diversidade de climas encontrada no território australiano vai desde o calor do “Outback” (nome dado ao deserto no país por estar fora da costa), no centro do país, até as geleiras das “Snowy Mountains” (montanhas de neve), a pouco mais de uma hora de Camberra, capital do país.

Com clima tropical, praias bonitas, surfe, população hospitaleira e um câmbio melhor do que o dólar americano são as principais motivações dos estudantes que escolhem a Austrália como destino de estudo. Segundo estatísticas da Belta (Brazilian Educational & Language Travel Association), o país é hoje o segundo preferido dos brasileiros que vão ao exterior para estudar inglês, ficando atrás apenas do Canadá.

Os estudantes podem, ainda, aproveitar as horas de folga para praticar atividades radicais, entre elas “rafting”, surfe, “canyoning”, mergulho, vôo livre, “bungee jumping”, paraquedismo e “mountain bike”.

A qualidade de vida na Austrália também se deve ao bom funcionamento dos serviços públicos, desde transportes e hospitais a áreas de lazer gratuitas. A Austrália foi colonizada pelos ingleses em 1.770 e já faz parte da lista dos países mais ricos do mundo.
Atualmente, o país apresenta uma das sociedades mais organizadas e um dos melhores IDHs (Índice de Desenvolvimento Humano) do mundo – é o 3º na lista da ONU (Oraganização das Nações Unidas) de 2007. A Austrália tem uma sociedade mais igualitária que a brasileira. Ou seja, há menor diferença entre as classes sociais australianas que entre as brasileiras.

Day Two

The first night in the tent went remarkably well.  I managed to wake up almost hourly from about 1am, mainly because the pathetic sleeping bags I bought a few months ago are absolutely useless, and I was slowly freezing my literals off, despite lots of layers under me and track pants and a t-shirt on me. (note to self, and anyone who actually reads this.  never by Spinifex brand sleeping bags …  never,)

Around 6:30am I decided to forget about trying to grab another hour, and to get my day moving.  Keep in mind this was really the first full day of the “adventure“, and I already knew that the car needed to undergo a complete re-pack to make access to various items easier.

First things first – coffee.  I’d somehow managed to camp within about 10 metres of the “camp kitchen”, which was basically a BBQ, microwave, small B&W TV, and a sink running hot artesian water for washing up.  Scrabbling through my box of cooking gear I pulled out the old billy, filled it with fresh water from the water carrier in the car (I’ve been warned about drinking artesian, and even if I hadn’t all the signs on the taps “NOT FOR DRINKING” would have stopped me).  While I would later find out that this in fact was one of the crappiest camp kitchens I’d experience, for the purposes of eating cereal while boiling a kettle without having to break out the cooking kit it was damn near perfect!

(click on any photo to see it bigger in a new window)

After breakfast and a shower, I pulled everything out of the car, and repacked it all back in, much more logically than when I left home.  All up, nearly two hours after I got up I was able to get driving again, with less rattling coming from the things stowed in the back.  Consider yourself very lucky that I don’t have a set of 30 photos to show you of the repacking.  My only excuse is that the cameras went into the front of the car first, and I never thought about them again until I was about to get underway.

Just outside the park, there is a old Air Force DC-3 aircraft.  It’s notable for a bunch of reasons, but mainly I took a few photos because there are always people, who like to see old RAAF gear, working within Defence, where my current contract is.  You’d be bored by them – let me know if you’ve really got nothing better to see and I’ll send you the links.

Fueled up, loaded a bag of ice into various coolers and drinks carriers, and finally on my way, on the road out of WW by around 9:30.  At least I’m getting closer to leaving on time!!

ON THE ROAD FOR VERY NEARLY A WHOLE HOUR!

It seemed the universe was going to ensure I made up for the lack of appropriate driving breaks the previous day by forcing me to have some today.  About 80kms west of West Wyalong there were road works, and a Stop-Go man directing traffic.  I’ve never seen a lollipop guy with a shade umbrella and a chair on the road before, but he came up to the car and let me know that I’d have at least 20 minutes before the road was usable.

I turned off the Storm Trooper, grabbed the camera, and went to look at the “wonderful” countryside that is 80km west of West Wyalong.

The patiently waiting Storm Trooper

Go through the brush on one side of the road,  and you’ll find a barbed wire fence about 4 feet high.  Stand next to that fence, and this is what you see:

Wander back through the scrub, across the road to the other side, and the view is completely different.

One of the things I never really thought about was how intense and vibrant the colours are once you get away from the city.  Maybe this is because of less pollution, clearer light, or some other factor, but when a weed such as this can look this good you start wondering about what we’re missing, back there in suburbia.

The stop-go guy blew his airhorn, I headed back into the car, and off to get to Hay.

Driving the Hay Plains was … unique. I don’t think I’ve ever driven on anything quite so unendingly flat.  Normally when you’re driving the horizon is constantly changing, but this was a bright, sunny, (and bloody hot) day with no clouds in the sky, and nothing much to break up the horizon.  As I drove I found the sky turning dark brown, as you get a weird sort of retina burn from the never-changing view,  bright blue sky providing a kind of continuous afterimage imposed on itself, the only way to fix it being to shift focus elsewhere for a few seconds then come back to looking at the road ahead (talking to a trucker a few days later in Broken Hill aparently this is very common).

The other weird thing was seeing the trucks come out of the haze on the horizon.  Normally the horizon is about 4kms away, considering everything being flat (which it is on the Hay plains). BUT add in the heat and light starts to bend around the horizon. When you’re driving towards a truck at … ahem … slightly over the 100km/h speed limit they seem to just pop up out of the mirror-like heat haze on the long highway directly in front of you. You kind of see the top of the truck, it seems to stay on the road for a few minutes, all caught in the heat shimmer, then suddenly it just pops up in front of you.  Very weird the first few times!

Somewhere along this enduring nothing I saw a huge pile of road gravel, deposited near the road for crews to come and use to maintain the road.  As the only thing higher than a truck that I’d seen in a while I pulled in to take a panographic image of the plains – anything lower wouldn’t have been worthwhile.  The pile was HUGE – at least ten metres high (if not more) and reasonably loose, so to get this made the dirt & crap in my boots all worthwhile:

Yep - that's THE Storm Trooper - twice. You can't get enough of a good Storm Trooper!!

It wasn’t until I got home that I managed to get a better look at the aea on google maps.  Click here to see exactly where this was taken. The car GPS had shown I was near a lake, which I couldn’t see, but it’s quite clearly (was) there on Google Maps. For the technically minded this is made up of around 15 separate images, carefully taken to overlap enough to let me stitch them accurately.  The sky changes colour and goes darker in places as I had a Circular Polariser filter on, which acts much like polarising sunnies, but becomes more apparent (like this) when the image moves through at least 360 degrees.

Hay, NSW.

There is a story behind this photo, and it isn’t as self-serving as you might thinkl!  What you can’t see is my mobile phone in my right hand, just under my left arm.  Even more, you can’t tell that there is an active call to my wife on that invisible-to-you phone.  As I was coming into Hay, Belle asked me if I was getting photos of me in front of all the various town signs that I was going to do something in (thank goodness it wasn’t a photo in every town I passed through – I’d still be out there !!).  SO, while I was talking to her, this sign came into view, I pulled over, set up the tripod, then ran the 100m or so to stand in from of this sign, having set the camera on timer.  Until I started walking back to the car and explained what I had been doing I don’t think she understood why I was running, but at least I got the shot !!

I passed through Hay,  pulling in to a spot near the river to have lunch and a coffee.  Very relaxing, comfortable spot on a sand-banked river, I almost wished I could have been there for sunset – I’m sure it looked  brilliant then too:

The next stop was  Balranald, around 135kms further down the road.  I hadn’t planned on stopping there, but the drive took a little longer than I planned, mainly due lots more semis and road trains coming onto the road due to an accident blocking the main southwards route, around 200km east of where I was.  Despite this I was making pretty good time, and as I pulled into the Balranald Visitor Information center, I saw this “guy” who wanted to have a photo with me (or at least that’s what the lady in the Visitor Information center said !)

Balranald is apparently well known for some endangered species of frogs, and there are similar frog sculptures all over the town, all in different poses.

The final 80km down to Robinvale Victoria was uneventful, bringing me to my “home” for the night at a caravan park on the banks of the Murray River.

At the end of a HUGE day, where I experienced loads of wonderful things, mostly unexpected (there is NO HAY on the Hay Plains !), it was wonderful, after setting up camp and making dinner, to sit on the banks of the Murray River, generously soaked in insect repellant, quaffing a decent red wine from a carefully prepared coffee mug, reading a little, and getting a photo as the sun went down of the trees over on the NSW side of the river;

before retiring to bed.

Tomorrow . . .  Robinvale to Silverton via Broken Hill . . .

- Michael

Web: www.slice-of-life.smugmug.com
Blog: photorhubarb.wordpress.com
Email: justgreatphotos@gmail.com

I recently purchased a Sedona duster for $45.00 I’d say the price is about right. the quality is less than a Driza-bone or Outback Trading companies. The material is thinner and not well coated with wax. However, it is a much lighter coat than the other two so for those not wanting a real Aussie duster for the outdoors, but instead want something to wear in the city, then this Sedona duster is perfect.  If it matters, the Outback Trading Co and Driza-Bone are Australian companies  while Sedona is American.  The Fox Fire / Outback  Trails Co is actually Canadian while the Sydney Oilskin collection Co is based in the UK.

Om half 5 worden we al gewekt door Jake, onze gids. Het is nog donker. De vorige avond hebben we duidelijke instructie gekregen:

• alleen maar naar het toilet
• de swags oprollen
• inpakken en wegwezen.

Het werkt. Om 5 uur zitten we met zijn allen in de bus en rijden we naar Kata Tjuta (ook bekend als de Olgas) waar we de zonsopgang gaan bewonderen.

In de outback is het nog een beetje fris zo vroeg in de ochtend. Bij het uitzichtpunt zien we de Olgas op een wat grotere afstand. Jake gaat aan de slag om een ontbijt voor ons te maken.

Onze groep is er als eerste maar langzamerhand duiken ook andere groepjes met toeristen op.  De zon komt langzaam op en de omgeving kleurt langzaam op. Het wordt gelukkig niet zo’n drukte als gisteren bij de sunset bij Uluru.

Na het ontbijt stappen we weer op de bus. We rijden nu naar Kata Tjuta National Park, hier om een 7km wandeling te maken door de Olgas.  Het is nog maar 7 uur in de ochtend dus we hebben nog niet zoveel last van de hitte. Volgens Jake zou het vandaag minder warm worden dan gisteren. Yes!

De wandeling is super mooi, met veel op- en neerwaarts lopen. Onderweg verteld Jake hoe de Olga’s en de andere rotsen (Uluru en Fooluru) zijn ontstaan. Kort samengevat: oorspronkelijk was het een bergketen maar de lichtere of zachtere delen zijn weggespoeld/uitgesleten door de regenval. Tijdens een enorme eruptie is alles 90 graden gedraaid en datgene wat je ziet van de Uluru is slechts een topje. De rest steekt diep in de grond. Zo is de ene kant van de Uluru 50 miljoen jaar ouder dan de andere kant.

Onderweg laat Jake zien hoe de aboriginals kleuren maken, overal liggen gekleurde oker-stenen die fijngemalen en aangemaakt met water een soort van verf vormt. Wit is de belangrijkste kleur bij de aboriginals, simpelweg omdat de witte oker-stenen het minst voorkomen en dus meer status hebben.

Na de wandeling maken we nog een toiletstop maar de toiletten zijn overspoeld. Shit can happen. We zetten de trip verder naar Uluru en stoppen maar weer bij het culureel centrum voor een nieuwe toiletstop. Bij Uluru gaan we verder waar we gisteren gestopt zijn. Er rest nog 1 km te lopen en deze keer gaat Jake met ons mee om ons uitleg te geven over de tekeningen. Ook laat ie ons grotten in de Uluru zien waar men vroeger woonde en krijgen we meer verhalen over gebruiken te horen.

De groep wordt verdeeld in 2 rijen, dames links en mannen rechts. Met de klok mee lopen we verder en lopen we langs ‘the chappel’, een grot waar de aboriginal vrouwen in baarden. Deze plek is heilig en het verbied dat mannen er mogen komen of hun blik erop werpen. De mannen krijgen dus de opdracht om de andere kant op te kijken als we langs de chappel lopen en de vrouwen de opdracht om degene die zich niet aan het gebod houdt met water tot orde te roepen.

Rare jongens, die aboriginals.

We keren weer terug naat de campground en eten een lunch. Hierbij moet gezegd worden dat de Australiers geneigd zijn om alles tussen hun brood te steken, noodles tot en met friet.

Om half 2 gaan we weer op pad, deze keer richting Kings Canyon. Iedereen zakt in de bus in slaap maar na een stop voor benenstrekken en wat koffie worden we weer wat wakker. Onderweg stoppen we een keer om brandhout te verzamelen voor het kampvuur van vanavond. Ondanks de droogte en warmte groeien er veel struiken en bomen in de outback.

Onderweg beginnen de canyons zich te laten zien aan onze rechterkant. We zien ineens een groep wilde paarden. We rijden een stukje terug om ze wat beter te zien. De paarden steken iets voor ons de weg over en we zien dat er ook nog een jonkie bij loopt. Verder spotten we nog 3 grote kangeroos onderweg.

Omstreeks half 6 arriveren we in Kings Creek, een camping waar we een stuk grond aangewezen krijgen. Het hout gaat op zijn plaas (een rond gat in de grond) en de swags er rondom heen. Sommigen lopen al met plannen om later ergens anders te gaan slapen, dit vanwege enkele ’snurkers’ in de groep. Jake verteld dat dit prima is maar dat er s’avonds wel es een dingo komt kijken.

Er is nog voldoende tijd voordat we gaan eten dus sommigen nemen een duik in het zwembad (koud) of anderen nemen eindelijk een douche of kopen een ijsje als verfrissing. Het bier gaat ook open!

We helpen Jake een beetje met het eten klaarmaken, dat gedeeltelijk om een campingpitje wordt klaargemaakt of in het kampvuur (vers brood). Op het menu staat chili con carne en na wat proeven begint Patrick met de peperpot te schudden.

Gezamenlijk eten we rond het kampvuur en wordt er nog wat gekletst over de dag. Voor sommigen is het de einde van de dag en ze rollen hun swags uit en kruipen erin. Er wijn weer ontzettend veel sterren te bekijken en vanuit je warme swag is het best wel leuk om dit te aanschouwen. ’s Nachts steekt er een wind op dus je moet wat dieper in je swag kruipen…

Aan de rechterzijde: Uluru sunrise.

En aan de linkerzijde: Kata Tjuta wake-up call.

Heeft iemand Jake gezien?

“Wild horses couldn’t drag me away “.

Na de lange dag van gisteren hebben we vanmorgen uitgeslapen en uitgerust. Ondertussen natuurlijk wel de nodige dingen op het internet gedaan zoals de blog updaten en de foto’s uitzoeken. Over foto’s gesproken we hebben er vandaag maar een stuk of 5 genomen daarom dus ook wat minder foto’s als de laatste dagen tussen de tekst.

Tegen het middaguur zijn we vertrokken met voor de eerste keer Danielle achter het stuur van onze 4 Wheel Drive. Een beetje onwennig vond ze het omdat ze nog niet zo vaak in een automaat heeft gereden en deze auto wel heel erg groot is. Maar alles is gelukt geen nieuwe krassen of schade erbij gekregen. Bij de Wal-mart kijken we rond en kopen een extra geheugenkaartje.

Hierna besluiten we naar de Barnes & Nobles bij de Florida Mall te rijden om wat rond te kijken en een drankje in hun Starbucks Café te drinken. Daarna gaan we naar de Florida Mall naar de FYE, dit is een CD/DVD winkel en sinds de Virgin Megastore weg is uit Downtown moeten we het met deze doen. We gaan op zoek naar muziek van de Trans-Siberian Orchestra.

Als snel vinden we de Christmas Trilogy een box bestaande uit 3 CD’s waarop de muziek die gebruikt wordt voor het Osbourne Spectacle of Dancing Lights staat. Daan vindt die prachtig. In deze winkel komen we er achter dat een andere CD die Danielle zoekt, de muziek van Beethoven’s Last Night ook van dit orkest is. Deze hadden ze helaas niet in deze FYE. Maar ín de Mall at Millenia nog wel. Dus zijn we snel in de auto gesprongen richting deze Mall.

In de Mall at Millenia hebben we even bij de Apple Store zitten internetten en gekeken of er iemand op Skype was. Moniek (mijn zusje) was online maar afwezig en nam niet op. Later bedacht ik dat de favoriete soap bezig was… Na de Apple Store scoren we de CD, Daan is helemaal gelukkig want hier zoekt ze al jaren naar.

We lopen nog even langs de The Walking Company waar Danielle nog de Ugg Brooks Tall ziet staan en aanpast. Ze zitten goed maar nemen ze niet mee. We denken er nog even over. En we kunnen ze altijd via internet bestellen. Dan is het risico op invoerbelasting voor de schoenen wel hoger maar niet op alle aankopen die we deze 2,5 week doen. Kortom twijfels of we de gok wel of niet nemen.

We verlaten de Mall at Millenia en rijden naar de Outback aan de South Kirkmann Road. De Outback is een Australische stijl restaurant wat bekend staat om zijn prachtige (en heerlijke) Blooming Union en niet te vergeten de overheerlijke steaks. We beginnen met een Blooming Union en het is Happy Hour dus ik bestel 1 biertje en krijg er 2. Daan kiest voor Sprite en die is zoals altijd in Florida unlimited refill.

Het hoofdgerecht dat Daan kiest is de 12 oz. Sirloin with Lobster Tails (340 grams Steak met kreeft staarten) en ik kies voor The Melbourne een steak van 20 oz. (bijna 570 gram). Als sides krijgen we Caesar Salade en Aussie Fries. Het is echt heel erg lekker, beide hebben we nog nergens een beter stukje vlees gegeten als hier. Helaas is de combinatie echt teveel en we eten beide ons bordje niet leeg. We nemen het ook niet mee naar huis wat wel kon en voor 65 Dollar hebben we heerlijk gegeten, komt natuurlijk nog wel de fooi van 20% (op het bedrag zonder tax) bij.

Hierna rijden we via de I4 naar huis en maken we er een rustige avond van. Morgen rijden we naar Tampa om Glenn optehalen voor een dagje Busch Gardens een park met dieren en rollercoasters.

Last Wednesday, the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety awarded 27 vehicles for receiving the highest ratings for “safest vehicles for 2010”. All 27 vehicles received an award recognizing them for doing the best job against protecting motorists in front, rear, side and rollover crash. All vehicles feature, Electronic stability control (EST), which is a new state of the art anti-rollover technology.

With a new criterion, the numbers were cut in more than half. 94 were tested and approved in 2009, in comparison to the 24 this year.

Ford Motor Co. and its Volvo unit received the most awards with six, followed by five awards apiece for Japanese automaker Subaru and German automaker Volkswagen AG and its Audi unit. However, Subaru was the only manufacturer with an IIHS in all four vehicles classifications in which it completes.

“With the addition of our new roof strength evaluation, our crash test results now cover all four of the most common kinds of crashes,” said IIHS president Adrian Lund in a statement. “Consumers can use this list to zero in on the vehicles that are on the top rung for safety.”

Below is the IIHS list of vehicles given a top safety pick.

LARGE CARS: Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus, Lincoln MKS, Volvo S80

MIDSIZE CARS: Audi A3, Chevrolet Malibu (built after October. 2009), Chrysler Sebring (4-door with optional ESC), Dodge Avenger, Mercedes C Class, Subaru Legacy, Subaru Outback, Volkswagen Jetta (4-door), Volkswagen Passat (4-door), Volvo C30.

SMALL CARS: Honda Civic (4-door with optional ESC, except Si), Kia Soul, Nissan Cube, Subaru Impreza (except WRX), Volkswagen Golf (4-door)

MIDSIZE SUVs: Dodge Journey, Subaru Tribeca, Volvo XC60, Volvo XC90

COMPACT SUVs: Honda Element, Jeep Patriot (with optional side thorax airbags), Subaru Forester, Volkswagen Tiguan

L.A. Car Connection, Inc. has the ability to get almost any make or model vehicle you choose. From Fords to Ferraris, to Hummer and Hybrids, L.A. Car Connection has the connection to get them all!

Feel free to check out our NEW WEBSITE and use our “Vehicle Finder”, to build your dream vehicle!

Check out this ad from Subaru, rippin’ on the Snuggie like a schoolyard bully stealing lunch money and giving out wedgies. When was someone going to tell me that the Snuggie is for sissies? I’m so out of the loop.

Seriously though, good strategy on Subaru’s part. But I wonder, is Snuggie OK with Subaru using 11 seconds of their famous infomercial? Maybe. Maybe they are OK with being branded as the antithesis of “rugged.” I mean, they basically rule the market in that area of sissydom. So why deny it?

It must be paying off—I saw Snuggies in Target yesterday.

Nomad. Basically means either a pastoral nomad, moving his herd every day in search of food, or a hunter gatherer nomad moving with the wildlife. Bruce Chatwin was forever fascinated by nomadic life and once spent years and years writing a book about his own thesis on ‘the nomadic alternative’. This brick of a book was according to his publisher almost unreadable and Chatwin ended up instead traveling Patagonia and writing ‘In Patagonia’. The rest is history.

I have spent the past 4 months attempting to realise my own Nomadic Alternative. On Monday the 23rd of November dreams become reality as I board my plane to freely travel the world, photograph, experience, write and live! New life. The road is the home. Nomadic Alternative.

I now own basically what I can carry. Well, carry with some help as there is an awful lot of camera gear, laptop, books and clothes. Still, my life and possessions is reduced to a mobile state and I have no home but the world, the road. Nomadic alternative. These are truly exciting times! Complete freedom and total liberation! I do know how lucky people consider me to be and I will live up to it.  But I have basically created this situation myself and I believe everyone can do this or parts of this. Most of what tie us down are in our minds!

While I do call it my Nomadic Alternative, like Bruce Chatwin would say, that is a truth and a half. Chatwin liked to say he was travelling with just a notebook and a backpack. In reality he carried a whole home with him, including a ton of books. In reality I will be jumping from base to base as a place to sleep is always quite nice! My first base will be with friends in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. A dear friend from Copenhagen will also join me in Chiang Mai and together we will explore Asia for the next 4 months. Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, perhaps Burma, Laos and a little gday to Australia as well could be on the menu. No plans, except to live! photograph, experience, travel and be free, free!

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – Tolkien

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." -Chris McCandless

The road is home

Let us conclude with the road, in this case a lovely red dirt road from Karijini, Australia. Red and blue dawn at it’s finest. Into the Wild.

Karijini Red and Blue Dawn
© Flemming Bo Jensen Photography

If you know some great photography locations in Thailand – and Asia – I would love to hear about them! See you on the road.

Hello Roamers,

I came across a reference to Tobruk and the following information is from their website.
TOBRUK Sheep Station, the most beautiful and most authentic rural
and outback experience in the Sydney region. An exciting, fun and interactive farm experience for all ages.
Set on over 150 acres (70 hectares) on a high plateau above the Hawkesbury River, Tobruk is surrounded by State Forests and bushland, with amazing views to the Blue Mountains. You will feel 1,000 miles from anywhere but in reality you’re only 70 minutes from Sydney (10 mins short of Wisemans Ferry).
Tobruk is ideally suited for families through to corporate groups, seniors groups, international tourists and incentives who are looking for something unique or wanting to get out of the city and experience rural and outback Australia for the day.
Everything at Tobruk is authentic – our warm and friendly staff dedicated to showing all our guests what it is that makes Australia a special country, the charm of the rustic buildings, blacksmiths shop and farm machinery, the warmth of the open campfire in Drovers Camp with billy tea and baking damper, the hearty country meals, the friendly animals and the beautiful sunsets high above the Hawkesbury River and Blue Mountains.
The program is exciting, entertaining, educational and encourages participation, no matter what your age.
Our philosophy is to provide a clean, safe, authentic environment, which all guests can enjoy. So get out of the city and come and enjoy country hospitality and outback authenticity at its best.
Tobruk Specialises In
Individual, Family and Group Day Programmes – Family Farmstays
- Jackaroo and Jillaroo Camps – Day or Extended Programs for Schools and Student Groups – Australian and International Tour Groups Incentives, Corporates and Packages – Seniors Groups – Bush Dances – Weddings – Private Functions

Cheers
John
Go-Roam Australia! ….and the world
http://roamersclub.com
http://grey-nomads.org
http://aussiejack.wordpress.com

Outback is on Facebook and is offering a free Bloomin’ onion to those who become a fan of their page. Go to http://www.facebook.com/outback and click on “become a fan.” You will have to sign-up to receive your coupon via email. The Bloomin’ onion is free with purchase of an entree. Enjoy!

Down The Stretch They Come

November has certainly already seen a host of upsets in the college football world, and we here at the PiRate Ratings believe big surprises are still to come.  With six undefeated teams (Florida, Alabama, Texas, TCU, Cincinnati, and Boise State), we see at least two falling before the bowl season.  Obviously, either Alabama or Florida must lose. The last time five teams finished the regular season winning every game was 1951, when Maryland, Tennessee, Michigan State, San Francisco, and Princeton did the trick.

The first wave of rivalry games begin this week, topped off by “The Big Game” in Palo Alto between Stanford and Cal.  The Cardinal now have a shot at winning the Pac-10 and earning a trip to Pasadena to face Ohio State.

Speaking of the Buckeyes, Ohio State ventures to the Big House to take on Michigan.  The Wolverines must win to gain bowl eligibility, and a loss will send several dozen more Maize & Blue fans to www.firerrod.com.

Bowl Speculating

Ohio State has become the second team to know where they will be bowling this year and the first team to clinch a BCS Bowl Bid.  However, the weekend may have muddied up the bowl projections more than helped clear things up.

The Atlantic Coast Conference

Georgia Tech continues to impress every week, and the Yellow Jackets have clinched the Coastal Division championship.  Clemson needs only to beat Virginia to earn the Atlantic Division title.  It is our opinion that Clemson will beat Georgia Tech in a rematch for the ACC Championship and Orange Bowl Bid.  At 11-2, the Yellow Jackets could still gain an at-large BCS Bowl Bid, but it would have to come at the expense of a 13-0 Boise State team.  With Wake Forest being ousted from bowl talk, it looks like the ACC will come up at least one team short and possibly two.  Duke must beat Wake Forest to get to six wins and make it to their first bowl in 15 years.

1. Orange Bowl—Clemson

2. Chick-fil-A—Virginia Tech

3. Gator—Georgia Tech

4. Champs Sports—Miami (Fl)

5. Music City—North Carolina

6. Meineke Car Care—Boston College

7. Emerald—Florida State

8. Eagle Bank—Duke

9. GMAC—No Team Available

The Big East

Cincinnati just escaped against West Virginia, while Pittsburgh handled Notre Dame.  The Panthers game with the Mountaineers in the “Backyard Brawl” actually doesn’t matter this year.  The winner of the Pitt-Cincinnati game wins the championship.  We’ll go with Coach Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers.  Cincinnati could qualify as an at-large BCS team at 11-1, but we don’t think the big bowls will take the Bearcats.  That might be the final straw for Brian Kelly in the Queen City.  He may bolt for South Bend or even Ann Arbor.

1. Orange Bowl—Pittsburgh

2. Sun—Cincinnati

3. Meineke Car Care—Rutgers

4. Papa John’s—South Florida

5. International—West Virginia

6. St. Petersburg—Connecticut

The Big Ten

Ohio State clinched the Big Ten Championship and Rose Bowl bid with the overtime win over Iowa.  It now looks like the second best team in this league will earn a last-minute BCS at-large bid.  If Iowa wins this week against Minnesota, the Hawkeyes should get that bid.

Michigan will not be bowl eligible after losing at home to Ohio State this weekend, so if the Big 10 gets a second BCS bowl team, they will come up one short.

1. Rose-OHIO STATE (accepted bid)

2. Fiesta—Iowa

3. Capital One—Wisconsin

4. Outback—Penn State

5. Alamo—Michigan State

6. Champs Sports—Minnesota

7. Insight—Northwestern

8. Pizza—No team available

The Big 12

Texas should quickly dispose of Kansas and Texas A&M to reach the Big 12 Title game, but a possible game against Nebraska could be quite interesting.  For now, we will stick with the notion that the Longhorns will run the table and make it to the National Championship Game.  If the Cornhuskers win out, they should still garner the Cotton Bowl bid if they lose to Texas.  With Iowa State winning its sixth game, and the only chance this conference has of getting a second team in the BCS being a Nebraska upset of Texas, we believe there will be one excess team.  However, that extra team will be 6-6 and out of luck.

1. National Championship—Texas

2. Cotton–Nebraska

3. Holiday—Oklahoma

4. Alamo—Oklahoma State

5. Sun—Missouri

6. Insight—Texas Tech

7. Independence—Kansas State

8. Texas—Texas A&M

Iowa State out of luck at 6-6

Conference USA

As Chester A. Riley would have said, “What a revoltin’ development this is!”  Houston’s loss to Central Florida has thrust SMU into first place in the West Division.  If Coach June Jones’ Mustangs beat Marshall this week, they are in the CUSA Championship Game.  Central Florida is now thickly in the East Division race, but it is now a four-team battle.  If UAB beats East Carolina and UCF, the Blazers would win the division title.  Who would have ever thought that on November 16, the CUSA Championship Game could still be a battle between SMU and UAB?

1. Liberty—East Carolina

2. Hawaii—Houston

3. Armed Forces—S M U

4. New Orleans—Southern Miss

5. St. Petersburg—Central Florida

Marshall & UAB at 6-6 will miss out on bowl bids

Independents

There’s no confusion here.  Navy has earned a Texas Bowl bid.  Army has failed to earn the Eagle Bank Bowl bid that is reserved for them this year.  Notre Dame’s BCS bowl hopes are gone and barring wins over both Connecticut and Stanford, the Irish won’t earn the Sun or Gator Bowl bids that they could receive.  However, with one more win, they become the top non-BCS at-large bowl hopeful.

1. Texas—Navy

2. Eagle Bank—Notre Dame (at-large)

Mid-American

The MAC will benefit from all the bowls that will need to seek at-large participants.  This league receives three automatic bowl bids, but we expect five schools to go bowling.  Central Michigan played in the Motor City Bowl last year (now the Pizza Bowl), so the Chippewas will probably be sent south to Mobile.

The Pizza Bowl will not have a Big 10 representative, and while they’d love to lure Notre Dame, the Irish will go to the highest bidder.  That will force them to invite a second MAC team.

1. G M A C—Central Michigan

2. Pizza—Temple

3. International—Ohio U

4. Humanitarian—Northern Illinois (at-large)

5. Pizza—Bowling Green (at-large)

Mountain West

T C U plays at Wyoming this weekend, and the Cowboys will be ready to give them all they can handle.  We think TCU will win by double digits, but it is one of those ambush situations.  A home finale with winless New Mexico will be little more than a scrimmage.

BYU and Utah close the regular season with their rivalry match, and the winner should wind up in Vegas.  Air Force has wrapped up the fourth bowl bid, and Wyoming is one win away from sneaking in as the fifth.  We expect them to beat Colorado State and get it.

1. Fiesta—T C U

2. Las Vegas—Utah

3. Poinsettia—B Y U

4. Armed Forces—Air Force

5. New Mexico—Wyoming

6. Humanitarian—No team available

Pac-10

This is another interesting race.  If Arizona beats Oregon this week, and Stanford beats California, then Arizona, Oregon, Oregon State, and Stanford will be tied for first with two conference losses.  Arizona would then win the Pac-10 and get the Rose Bowl bid.  However, the Wildcats must finish at Arizona State and at Southern Cal, and we see them failing to get to 7-2.  If Arizona beats Oregon, and Stanford beats Cal, then the Cardinal would be heading to Pasadena, unless Oregon State could win at Oregon “The Civil War.”  At 7-2, Oregon State gets the tiebreaker over Stanford.

1. Rose—Stanford

2. Holiday—Oregon

3. Sun—Southern Cal

4. Las Vegas—Arizona

5. Emerald—Oregon State

6. Poinsettia—California

U C L A will finish 6-6 and not receive a bid

Southeastern

Alabama will practice with Chattanooga this week, and then finish the regular season at Auburn.  It could be interesting for a half, but the Tide will head to Atlanta at 12-0.  Florida also has a breather with Florida International, but they have a tough finale with Florida State.  We believe the Seminoles have a small shot at pulling off the big upset.

With two BCS bowl bids virtually a certainty, the SEC will send 10 teams to bowls this year.

1. National Championship—Alabama

2. Sugar—Florida

3. Capital One—Ole Miss

4. Cotton—L S U

5. Outback—Tennessee

6. Chick-fil-A—Auburn

7. Music City—Georgia

8. Liberty—Arkansas

9. Independence—South Carolina

10. Papa John’s—Kentucky

Sunbelt

Troy has just about clinched the conference championship, so they will receive the sole automatic bowl bid.  Middle Tennessee has already reached the magic seven win mark, so the Blue Raiders will get an at-large bid.

1. New Orleans—Troy

2. G M A C—Middle Tennessee (at-large)

Western Athletic

Boise State cannot chalk up a perfect regular season just yet.  The Broncos still must face the most potent offense in the nation.  Nevada must play at Bronco Stadium, so Boise State should win and finish 13-0.  We strongly believe that while the BCS Bowls would rather invite a two-loss team from one of the big six conferences, they will have their arms pulled and be highly coerced into inviting a second non-BCS team into the BCS Bowl structure.  It’s funny how the threat of a Justice Department investigation can determine bowl participants.

1. Sugar—Boise State

2. Hawaii—Fresno State

3. New Mexico—Nevada

4. Humanitarian—Idaho

• * = At-large selection
• ALL CAPS AND BOLD = ACCEPTED BID

A really beautiful film, one that does what cinema does best. It uses images – both cinematographic and photographic – to create a world and an aura and something much more than just a mood or a feeling. Long shots and close-ups are “juxtaposed,” except in a way that sustains their balance, their harmony. (Why should juxtaposing always imply “opposites”?) What is a landscape without an insect? Dropping other names like Lean, Antonioni, and Bertolucci is probably standard regarding a movie like Walkabout. Colors aren’t just depicted but somehow rendered in all their earthy textures. The “story” begins where so many of the Neorealist (and neo-Neorealist) films ended, with an inexplicable but all too real kind of self-inflicted tragedy. Lawrence of Arabia begins with its concluding tragedy, but Walkabout begins with its only tragedy. An innocence is being posited here, and perhaps not unfairly. Certainly the hippy element is clear. A reverse fall into sin takes place and gives birth to a kind of Eden, though the new paradise is located in a fallen environment. Once tamed, though, the Outback becomes a perfect world. The girl still seeks an escape, not realizing until years later the irony of it all. The boy, the less tainted and stained of the two, still being taught British manners and forced to wear his suit while trudging through the sand, integrates his old world with his new one and only gives incidental concern for what has brought about their walkabout. Mores, customs, conventions are not fully abandoned until the retrospective. The Aboriginal man is the anti-serpent from Genesis. When she refuses to give in to his freedom (the anti-temptation, the anti-sin), he hangs himself on the tree of knowledge, arms outspread as if on a cross. His death redeems and liberates her.

Travelling down the East Coast of Queensland? Like horses? Yes, then stop off in Noosa for your fix of horse riding.

This beach and bush ride on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland is the ultimate Australian bush and beach riding experience. It’s the quintessential Australian ride where riding guests are mounted on superbly bred Australian Stock Horses, ride along untouched, vast expanses of beach, tail behind a mob of cattle and experience true bush spirit in outback Queensland.

Visit their website here: horse riding holidays

Hi Everyone!

Wow ! The number of people who have been asking about the trip, what I saw, where I went, and especially those who are reading this via my Facebook profile (you guys really need to come see this in the blog format – it’s loads better !) has kind of blown me away a bit.  So I’ll write aout what happened and show you some of the pics, but it’ll take a few posts to get it out there properly – I’ve been lucky enough to see (and shoot) heaps, so a simple quick post isn’t going to do it justice.

There’s a post a couple below this one that explains the basic route that I was taking.  I left on Wednesday 4th November, planning on returning home on the 12th – the following Thursday, but wound up heading home a day earlier, for reasons that I’ll explain a bit later.

Day One – Blaxland to West Wyalong

The plan was to get out of home no later than about 9am, which would give me a nice cruisy day for the first day.  Loads of time to get to where I was going, have a chance to do some exploring before the sun went down, and generally “shake-down” the way the trip was going to proceed.

The modifications were made to the car a couple of days in advance (basically removing the rear seat on a 3 door compact car, and building a basic cargo barrier in it’s place), most of my kit was sorted out and sitting in the garage ready to be packed into the car, the food was all sorted out, and the only thing (or so I thought) that I’d have to do would be to get my clothes together, load the car up, and voom -  “Westie Way ‘|Round” would be underway.

The reality was somewhat different.  A few calls from work required some last minute management, which was on the back of helping the rest of the family get underway to their respective days (the kids to school and  Belle off to work).  Then it was up to Blaxland, fuel up, buy ice and the last few requirements for the general shop (including some decent wine), and I was finally on my way at about 12:30!  Not quite the 9am I had been anticipating.

The Blue Mountains were shrouded in bleak, smeary weather that morning.  It was never sure if it should be raining or not, so the roads were slicked up and pretty greasy, road works as I headed west up the mountains.  It wasn’t until I got to Mt Victoria, above most of the cloud layers,  that the traffic started to lighten up, and heading down the Victoria Pass, on the western side of the Mountains, all of a sudden the clouds broke, and proof that the sky was still blue was amply available.

Getting out of the car in Bathurst was like taking a smack to the head.  I’d been in air conditioned comfort so far (mainly to stop the windows from fogging up), but it must have been around 35C in the car park at the National Racing Museum, at the base of Mt Panorama.

After having a good look at the Peter Brock statue in the car park, I headed in to the relatively cool comfort of the museum, working my way past the printed coffee cups and embroidered T-shirts in Ford Blue or Holden Red (and not a pastel in sight !)  into the Museum proper.

I’ve been a V8 motor racing fan (note  fan, not fanatic)  for many years – and I’ve been watching the big Bathurst race just about every year since 1977, but I was surprised at the rich motor racing history that this country has.  If you’re into morot racing and are ever in the Bathurst area of NSW I can strongly recommend the museum, and at only A$9 entry it’s well worth it.

Naturally enough my main interest was with the V8’s, which are in towards the back of the museum.  For me it was a little thrill that I got to see (and ever so . . .  naughtily . . . touch) three particular cars that iterested me:

One

In 1984 Peter Brock drove a VK series Holden Commodore in The Great Race and won, co-driving with Larry Perkins.  1984 was significant, as it was the last year that the race would be to Australian regulations, and would move (in 1985) to the international Group `C’ regulations, changing the race significantly. This is the car that he won in.

And this is me “with” Brockie – the closest I’ll ever get (Peter Brock was killed during a motor race on September 8th 2006)

Two

Craig Lowndes is another favourite driver of mine.  He was largely mentored by Peter Brock in his earlier driving years, and is not only a household name in Australian motorsport but is also generally considered to be a thrououghly nice guy.  In 2001 & 2002 he was a driver for Ford racing  driving a car that looked stunning on the track, and was dubbed “The Green-Eyed Monster” by race fans and commentators in reference to the bright green headlight covers on the car.  While this car didn’t ever win Bathurst, it certainly made it’s mark in the history of Australian motorsport, and set a new benchmark in vehicle livery.

Three

1977 was the first year that I can remember watching the Bathurst race, and in that year it was won by Allan Moffat (portrayed in the media as the “arch enemy” of Peter Brock).  The win was controversial, as the other team car was in better shape and would have taken the lead if not for team management instructions that required a 1-2 finish.  Moffats car – #1 – had binding brakes slowing it’s progress, but Colin Bond in the near-identical #2 vehicle drove slightly behind and beside Moffat, providing what is considered an iconic Bathurst win – two cars from the same team finishing nearly side-by-side after a lengthy and actioned packed race.  This is Moffats #1 car.

” … he’ll be coming around the mountain when he comes …”

Out of the museum, I’m at the base of Mt Panorama, what else am I going to do other than drive the track ?!

Mt Panorama is all public road, only closed off for santioned race meetings.  It seems almost permanently patrolled by police, and the day I was there I saw two radar traps on the course.  The drive to the top is tight, steep, and in my laden-down little car a bit of a struggle, and I can only imagine how hard it would be to negotiate some of those ridiculously tight corners at race speed in a car better than three times the size of mine.

A quick coffee stop near the top of the mountain (wary of how late my day was running) and then two “quick” laps of the circuit (struggling to reign in the ever-eager Storm Trooper), stopping at the top of the circuit at the freshly renamed Brocks Skyline (the part of the track running across the top of the mountain before the large descent stage) to get a shot of the Storm Trooper on the track.

Realising the time, the push was on to get to West Wyalong in time to get the tent set up and dinner underway before I lost the sunlight, so the next four hours was basically one big drive. And while I’m going to say this a few times on this blog, it was pretty boring driving too.  Lot’s of very straight, no-action driving.  I can see why people have accidents on sweeping roads in the countryside – part of the reason is they’ve gotten used to not having to turn the wheel !

I had decided that I’d set breaks at around the 90 minutes of driving mark, taking time for a quick leg stretch and maybe a coffee, but that idea unintentionally went out the window on that leg, in my determination to get to the caravan park I was staying at before sundown.  I only just made it, though it was incredibly stupid to push for that long on a single leg, and I was pretty much buggered when I got there.  Set up the tent (far too slowly – this has GOT to get better during this trip!!) and had time for one quick photo in the park – a signpost that happens to have a bunch of the places I’m going to on this trip.

I woke up with the birds the next morning – literally.  It seems West Wyalong is a bit of a haven for Magpie Birth Centres, with at least three nests within screaming distance of the tent.  After a complete re-pack of the car to cater for some issues I had identified the previous evening, it was back on the road, aiming for my next overnight stay . . . .

. . . Robinvale Victoria . . .

- Michael

Web: www.slice-of-life.smugmug.com
Blog: photorhubarb.wordpress.com
Email: justgreatphotos@gmail.com

Today I had the pleasure of doing a shoot for model entrant Lan from Darwin who came down to Katherine so I could shoot her. Lan is currently in 3rd place for the Miss NT Model Competition. It was also a chance to get updated photos of her portfolio to show case to future model agencies in Darwin. This is just one of various locations that Lan and I went to this afternoon. To see more of the shoot click on this link. http://caseysmith.zenfolio.com/p547627899